For the first time... the Golden Square matches the FIFA ranking

One hundred matches have been played so far in the 2026 Men’s World Cup, ultimately resulting in the top four teams in the FIFA World Rankings advancing to the semi-finals.

All talk of the sport’s global expansion and the World Cup reaching new horizons has been dispelled by the clear reality that European national teams, along with one South American side, continue to dominate the competition.

This is the first time that the top four teams in the FIFA rankings have matched the four semi-finalists in the Men’s World Cup. However, this also reflects FIFA’s design of the tournament draw, which ensured these teams would not meet before this stage.

Most analysts agree that France, led by Didier Deschamps, has been the best team in the tournament so far, thanks to the immense speed in attack represented by Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, alongside the skill and artistic touch of Michael Olise in the playmaker role behind them.

However, the French defense has not faced real tests yet, giving Spain, the European champions, a chance to secure their third consecutive victory over Les Bleus when the two sides meet in the semi-finals near Dallas tomorrow (Tuesday).

The Spanish team, ranked third in the FIFA rankings, has not delivered the same level of performance as in previous tournaments, needing late goals from substitute Mikel Merino to overcome Portugal and Belgium.

But the Spanish defensive line and goalkeeper Unai Simón have delivered solid performances. The Athletic Bilbao keeper has maintained a clean sheet for 649 consecutive minutes across two World Cup editions, setting a tournament record.

The other semi-final will pit second-ranked world champions Argentina against fourth-ranked England in Atlanta the day after tomorrow (Wednesday).

Neither team has shown their best form throughout the tournament, but both possess match-winning stars, led by legend Lionel Messi, alongside the English duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who have each scored six goals.

In a sign that may not reassure England, Messi, the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, failed to score for the first time in the current edition during yesterday’s 3-1 victory over Switzerland.

Messi shares the tournament’s scoring lead with eight goals alongside Mbappé. It is unlikely he will remain scoreless again in the semi-final, but Argentina will also note that Kane delivered a quiet performance, unusual for him, during their 2-1 extra-time win over Norway in the quarter-finals.

Jude Bellingham’s brilliance for Real Madrid, including two new goals that sealed the match, proved that England does not rely on a single player. However, Marcus Rashford is the only other English player to have scored in the tournament, a fact that concerns German manager Thomas Tuchel.

A brilliant goal from Julián Álvarez helped Argentina overcome Switzerland, and England must be careful not to focus excessively on Messi while neglecting the rest of the world champions’ squad.

Lionel Scaloni, Argentina’s manager, knows how rare it is to retain the World Cup title. Only Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) have successfully defended the trophy in the tournament’s history.